NewNorth Center is a nonprofit, hybrid educational and business institution headquartered in Holland, Mich. Clients include local, regional, and national businesses.
The organization focuses on teaching the design-thinking process to help facilitate innovation within large corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurial startups.
Nate Young, president and teaching faculty member, says NewNorth has two active approaches. The first is an
Innovation Methods Certification course, a one-year series of classes and exercises that promote a leadership and team-centric approach to innovation.
Young says one session recently finished, and now these individuals are applying what they learned. "We have 38 graduates and 38 unique innovation projects active in West Michigan," says Young, who adds that these individuals come from organizations diverse in industry and size.
The other approach being used by NewNorth is through
topical business workshops conducted throughout the region. Young identifies work at The Right Place, The Holland Chamber of Commerce, StartGarden, and an upcoming seminar the Grand Rapids Tech Hub as examples of this approach.
Although these workshops are much shorter in length, they are very practical and can introduce the innovation process to individuals and begin a flight path toward more complex projects.
To learn more about NewNorth, you can visit their site
here.
Source: Nate Young, NewNorth
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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